Synopsis
Mob assassin Jeffrey is no ordinary hired gun; the best in his business, he views his chosen profession as a calling rather than simply a job. So, when beautiful nightclub chanteuse Jennie is blinded in the crossfire of his most recent hit, Jeffrey chooses to retire after one last job to pay for his unintended victim's sight-restoring operation. But when Jeffrey is double-crossed, he reluctantly joins forces with a rogue policeman to make things right.
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Cast
- Chow Yun-fatAh Jong
- Danny Lee Sau-YinInsp. Li Ying / Little Eagle
- Sally YehJennie
- Paul Chu KongSidney Fung
- Kenneth TsangSgt. Tsang Yeh
- Shing Fui-OnHay Wong Hoi
- Tommy Wong Kwong-LeungTeddy Wong Hung
- James Ha Chim-SiTeddy's Man
- Ricky Yi Fan-WaiFrank Chen
- Barry WongChief Inspector Tu
Recommendations
- 100
Empire
John Woo's trademark style reached its zenith in The Killer, with its ying-yang relationship between a good-hearted hit man and an anti-authority cop. But underneath the Miami Vice tailoring, it's as much a doomed romance as a shoot-'em-up. - 100
TV Guide Magazine
For Western viewers unfamiliar with Hong Kong gangster films, there's no better introduction. - 100
Variety
This extremely violent and superbly made actioner demonstrates the tight grasp that director John Woo has on the crime meller genre, and his ability to twist the form into surprisingly satisfying shapes. The picture creeps up on an audience. Melodramatic from the start, it finally goes over the top to deliver a solid emotional punch. - 100
The Dissolve
It plays like the work of a filmmaker operating at the highest level of his abilities. - 90
Chicago Reader
A lot of claims have been made for this campy bloodbath concerto (1989) by Hong Kong director John Woo, and I must admit that he's even better than Brian De Palma at delivering emotional and visceral excess with staccato relentlessness. - 90
The New York Times
The scenes of gore and destruction are even more spectacular than Hong Kong's fog-shrouded skyline. The director repeatedly places the viewer at the center of the crossfire and turns the gyrating camera into the next best thing to a lethal weapon. - 90
Time Out
The most dementedly elegiac thriller you've ever seen, distilling a lifetime's enthusiasm for American and French film noir, with little Chinese about it apart from the soundtrack and the looks of the three beautiful leads. - 89
Austin Chronicle
This is tragedy at its most hilarious and comedy to break your heart; sweet violence in a hellish fairy tale.
